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Dominica

Dominica

State policies and legislative resources
  • The Sexual Offences Act, Amendment) Act 2016
  • Law on Domestic Violence (protection orders) (Amendment, 2001)
  • Transnational Crime Bill (2011)
  • Children and Young Persons Act, 1970
  • The Child Justice Bill (not enacted)
  • The Offences Against the Person Act
  • Child Justice Bill
  • National Policy and Action Plan for Gender Equity and Equality in the Commonwealth of Dominica, in June 2006.
  • The anticipated Cabinet approval of the National Gender Policy and Action Plan 2014-2019
  • Draft National Gender Policy 2018-2028 is currently being updated
  • National plan of action on Child Sexual Abuse
  • National Gender Policy and Action Plan, 2014
  • National Policy and Action Plan for Gender Equality

GBV and SRHR Advocacy stakeholders

Government Institutions

  • The Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA), Ministry of Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs
  • Family and Gender Affairs; Ministry of Health and Social Services
  • The National Gender Advisory Committee (NGAC, 2012)
  • Gender Focal Points (GFPs).
  • The Government operates one of several residential care centres that provide care and protection for children in crisis.
  • The National HIV/AIDS Prevention Unit in the Ministry of Health and Social Services

Civil Society / Women's Movement

  • Dominica Planned Parenthood Association
  • Dominica National Council of Women as the main civil society umbrella organization for women maintains a programming thrust around the elimination of Gender-based Violence. This includes training, advocacy, counselling of victims and facilitating shelter for those at risk of violence.
  • Lifeline Ministries, a nongovernment agency with a focus on protection of children, provides emergency temporary shelters in private homes, and also assists with counselling.
  • Women Working for Women has emerged to address child sexual offences and to advocate for legislative changes. More girls are affected by sexual abuse.
  • NGO-Coalition has been active in advocating against gender-based violence especially in support of children and other vulnerable groups

Thematic Issues

Implementation of anti-discrimination laws and policies against vulnerable populations
  • Dominica does not have laws that protect LGBT people against discrimination. Civil society reports that LGBT people, particularly from the lower economic bracket, face discrimination and stigma, and challenges accessing basic health care, social services, and employment (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
  • Corporal punishment in Dominica is prohibited in early childhood education facilities but it is still lawful in all other settings, including the home, alternative and day care settings, schools, penal institutions, and as a sentence for a crime (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
  • As at April 2014, the Child Justice Bill was under discussion in the context of the Juvenile Justice Reform Project of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, with a view to revising it before presentation to Parliament. As at February 2016, the Bill had not been enacted (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
  • In 2016 Dominica passed the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 2016 which expands the penalties for rape; criminalizes marital rape and grooming children for sexual relations; and includes penalties for persons who fail to report child abuse and those who accept bribes to avoid a penalty for child abuse (p. 3). Progress made thus far include:
    • Criminalization of Marital Rape;
    • Harsher sentences for perpetrators of sexual violence;
    • Sexual grooming of a minor under sixteen years of age is now punishable by law. A
    • person who is guilty of an offence under this section is liable on conviction to
    • imprisonment for a term of fourteen years;
    • Introduction of Mandatory reporting of suspected abuse of minors.
  • The draft Updated National Gender Policy and Action Plan was completed in 2014 and was designed to foster gender equality within the context of national development. Dominica, however, having been confronted by adverse climatic conditions over the past five (5) years, therefore needed to update the policy to reflect some of these changes.
  • More specifically, the reviewed policy had to be consistent with the Government’s National Resilience Development Strategy 2018-2030. During 2018, three (3) meetings were held to review the policy. It is now at its final stages and will be submitted to Cabinet shortly (p. 4).
  • Between 2015 and 2018 the Bureau of Gender Affairs and UN Women implemented a “Social Mobilization to end Gender-based Violence in the Eastern Caribbean” project. Through this project, significant steps have been made in sensitizing the public on gender issues, supporting victims and advocates in countering the negative impacts of GBV especially domestic violence, and securing increasing allies in the fight for gender equality.
Provisions of CSE and SRHR services for Children and Youth
  • There is a national plan of action on Child Sexual Abuse which is relatively recent but it is not necessarily implemented or enforced (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
Enabling Legal and policy framework to advance SRHR and GBV
  • Police sensitivity remains a challenge, especially for GBV cases and even more so for those in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTIQ) community (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
  • The Social Welfare Division is understaffed (UPR – UNST OECS, 2019).
  • The Protection against Domestic Violence Act is currently under revision. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is seeking to harmonize family bills including the Domestic Violence Bill, so that the amendments take into consideration current issues and trends associated with the problem.
  • The Bureau of Gender Affairs and UNFPA implemented a project post Hurricane Maria – “Respond to life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of women and adolescent girls affected by Hurricane Maria and Strengthen System to prevent Gender Based Violence against women and girls” (p. 4). Activities include:
    • Strengthened Referral Pathway for survivors of Gender Based Violence – Fifteen (15)
    • organizations were trained in the Gender Based Violence Referral Pathway. The
    • Referral Pathway is a flexible mechanism that safely links survivors to supportive and
    • competent services.
    • Development of draft Standard Operating Procedures to be used to prevent and
    • respond to Gender Based Violence (GBV) during and after Emergencies in the
    • Commonwealth of Dominica.
    • Distribution of IEC materials among communities including brochures, posters, tshirts, bags, etc.
  • Between 2015 and 2018 the Bureau of Gender Affairs and UN Women implemented a “Social Mobilization to end Gender-based Violence in the Eastern Caribbean” project. Through this project, significant steps have been made in sensitizing the public on gender issues, supporting victims and advocates in countering the negative impacts of GBV especially domestic violence, and securing increasing allies in the fight for gender equality.
  • The Draft National Gender Policy 2018-2028 is currently being updated and advocates for the development and implementation of integrated measures to prevent, treat and alleviate the incidence of gender-based and wider forms of violence in the society including domestic violence, sexual violence. The draft policy also seeks to promote political and social participation, access to sexual health and reproductive health services. The Draft National Gender Policy 2018-2028 also seeks to promote political and social participation, access to sexual health and reproductive health services.

References

  • Baksh, R. (2013). Updated National Gender Policy and Action Plan 2014-2024 (Draft).
  • Prepared for the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica by Rawwida Baksh, Consultant.
  • Baksh, R. (2014). Country gender assessment: Dominica. Wildey, Barbados, Caribbean Development Bank
  • Rawwida Baksh and Associates (2016). Country Gender Assessment Synthesis Report. Wildey, Barbados, Caribbean Development Bank.
  • Baksh, R. (2014) Country Gender Assessment: Dominica. Wildey, Barbados: Caribbean Development Bank.
  • National report Dominica, Human Rights Council, Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Thirty-third session, 6–17 May 2019
  • Compilation on Dominica, Human Rights Council, Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Thirty-third session, 6–17 May 2019
  • Summary of Stakeholders’ submissions on Dominica, Human Rights Council, Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Thirty-third session, 6–17 May 2019
  • Corporal punishment of children in Dominica: Briefing for the Universal Periodic Review, 33rd session, 2019, Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, May 2019
  • Dominica 2019 UPR: Joint Submission from the United Nations Subregional Team for Barbados and OECS
  • Dominica, 2020, Human Rights Report